Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-01-06
THE ETHICS OF HUGGING.
Learned Disquisition Upon a Very Popular
Industry.

Industry.
A few days ago young gentleman
residing on Polk avenue Rugged his
grandmother with such fervor that three
of the old lady's ribs were dislocated.
and she now lies in precarious condi-
ton. This, | may add, is an unpreced-
ented case. Men have Rugged the OPP
posite sex with such ferocity as to en-
danger their lives, but then the opera
ton was not performed upon the grand
mother. About Il year ago q young
man in the east embraced his sweet
heart, and when the hug was over he
found she was dead. But she had long
suffered from disease of the heart; so
he was only in part responsible for this
melancholy occurrence. Hugglng IS a
comparatively modern Institution. Our
ancestors never Rugged They calmly
and demurely embraced. Now, here
pause to draw the line between the hug
and the embrace. The hug is an earn
est, quick, impetuous contraction of the
muscles of the arms and chest when the
object to be Rugged lies within the circle
bounded by the arms, while the chest is
the goal or final point of the hug. The
warmth of the hug is determined bv the
extent of muscular contraction. But
the hug is not, as anatomists assert,
terminated when the object is brought
in contact with the chest. On the con
trary the sweeping in is but the shell of
the operation. The kernel is reached
when the space between the hugger and
the huggee is annihilated, and the blade
Of knife could scarcely be inserted be-
tween both surfaces. This is, perhaps,
the most dangerous stage of the opera
ton. A pound, nay few ounces, of
| extra pressure may result, if not in the
! displacement of rib, ut least in the
bursting of corset string, with the al
most inevitable destruction Of bangs,
montagues, and such like headgear.
The release, if not skillfully managed,
is also attended with danger, and should
| be as gradual as the elementary pres
sure
Expressions of anguish on the part of
the huggee may, as rule, be regarded
as hypocritical, and should have no eff
feet in inducing the hugger to diminish
the pressure. In like manner all dan
ger-signals in regard to the arrival of q
third party on the scene should be in
yestgated By the party of the first be-
fore receiving the attention the genuine
arrival Of parent or guardian might
command. This may be done by
quick glance over the shoulder, and
this rapid change of the direction Of the
head may be accomplished by little
practice without making any relaxation
of pressure necessary. If the warning
should prove to be without foundation
the deceit may be punished by from two
to three pounds additional pressure,
but SO gradual that none of the adorns
ments of the person hugged may suffer.
For these little accidents ruiile the tenn
per and embitter the memory of the
operation. The small affairs of the toilet
are not accomplished easily, and the fe-
male mind is rutlled by the destruction
OF the laborious embellishments of the
morning hour.
Near relatives should be embraced
and not Rugged. The embrace is mere
ly the throwing out and partial contrac-
ton Of the arms, without any special
attention to an objective point An
especially young and pretty aunt may
be excepted, and have known eases
where an extremely juvenile and good
looking step-mother has been the occa-
sion of the merging Of the embrace into
the hug. But this is rarely done, and
is attended with much danger, partcu-
larry if the embracer is dependent on
the purse Of the old man for the neces-
sites, as well us the Injuries. of life. To
embrace mother-in-law is n hollow
mockery, and should be attempted only
when some important object has to be
attained, aud oven then We doubt if it
is eXcusablc. A cousin may be either
hugged or embraced, as the fancy of the
operator may dictate, the choice de-
pending solely on the age and good
looks OF this most convenient and de-
lightful relation. sacramento Bee.